Ponder comes up big at most important time

September 12, 2012|Reuters

"I do regret the language (in the Deadspin.com essay), because it put the Vikings in a tough spot, which was never my intention," Kluwe said. "But they've been very supporting of my right to speak out."

Kluwe said the reaction he's received on Twitter has been positive for the most part.

"It's been very heartening," he said. "Because it's been very positive. I'd say over 6,000 replies - maybe five or six negative ones. It's a pretty good ratio of good to bad, so it gives me hope that, when our kids look at us 50, 60 years from now, they'll be able to look back and say, 'They did the right thing, they fought for freedom instead of oppression.'"

BY THE NUMBERS: 25 - Number of consecutive games that the Vikings' defensive line had gone with at least one sack before being shut out in the season opener against the Jaguars.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "I just happen to be 6-7." - LT Matt Kalil, when asked what the key is to him blocking so many kicks. He blocked four in high school, seven at Southern Cal and one in his NFL debut with the Vikings on Sunday.

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NFL Team Report - Minnesota Vikings - STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

The Vikings are rethinking their 3-deep coverage philosophy following what almost was a game-blowing mistake by cornerback Chris Cook in Sunday's 26-23 overtime win against Jacksonville.

Leading by five with less than a minute left in regulation, the Vikings called 3-deep coverage. The No. 1 rule for the three-deep guys is "no one gets behind you." But Cecil Shorts got behind Cook down the right sideline. Cook got twisted around, lost sight of the ball and gave up the go-ahead 39-yard touchdown.

In that particular defense, Cook had no deep safety help. That might change in the future.

"We probably could have done some things to help Chris in that situation that we could have done a little bit better," coach Leslie Frazier said.

PLAYER NOTES

--DE Jared Allen was held without a sack in the season opener. A year ago, he had at least one sack in 13 of 16 games while setting the franchise mark of 22. He did, however, have two QB pressures against the Jaguars.

--DE Brian Robison took advantage of the one-on-one blocking he received from second-year player Cameron Bradfield and backup Guy Whimper last week. Although Robison didn't have a sack, he hit and pressured Blaine Gabbert consistently on Sunday.

--WR Devin Aromashodu was the first reserve to step up and show that he can be the guy to pick up the slack for Jerome Simpson, the starter whose suspension lasts two more games. Aromashodu, whose talent has yet to show through consistently in four seasons, caught three passes for 61 yards last week. One of them was a 26-yarder to set up the game-tying 55-yard field goal as time expired. The other two also set up field goals, including the game-winner in overtime.

--MLB Jasper Brinkley had seven sacks and no glaring errors in his first regular-season game since 2010. Brinkley, who missed all of last season after hip surgery, also had the touchdown-saving tackle on third-and-goal from the 1-yard line. The tackle forced the Jaguars to settle for a field goal at the end of a 17-play drive.

--CB Chris Cook had a career-high three passes defended against the Jaguars. But he also had a glaring error while trying to cover Cecil Shorts in man coverage late in the fourth quarter. Cook got twisted the wrong way and then lost sight of the ball as Shorts caught the go-ahead touchdown with 20 seconds left in regulation. Fortunately for Cook, the Vikings came back and won in overtime.

INJURY IMPACT

--LB Marvin Mitchell (ankle), who didn't play Sunday, returned to practice on a limited basis. That will help the special teams.

--S Andrew Sendejo (ankle) didn't play on Sunday, but returned to practice on a limited basis.

--WR Jarius Wright (ankle) didn't play on Sunday, but returned to practice on a limited basis.

--CB Chris Cook (biceps) was limited in practice but is expected to play.

--C John Sullivan (ankle)was limited in practice but is expected to play.

GAME PLAN: The Vikings' key to winning on the road is controlling the game and the atmosphere with running backs Adrian Peterson and Toby Gerhart. If they do that, it lessens the effect of the Colts' pass rush, which could be pumped up considering it's the home debut for quarterback Andrew Luck.

With Peterson proving last week that he's as good as he was before his knee injury, the Vikings should be able to give him 20 carries while Gerhart, a pile mover who was primed to be the starter this year, gets close to 10 carries. If they can do that, the Vikings will maintain at least a narrow lead and be able to unleash their pass rush on Luck. Putting Luck in obvious passing situations could lead to multiple interceptions, even for a Vikings team that doesn't get a lot of them.

MATCHUPS TO WATCH: Vikings LDE Brian Robison, who had two QB hits and some additional pressure in Sunday's win over the Jaguars, vs. Colts RT Winston Justice, who is coming back from a concussion that knocked him out of the loss to the Bears last week. If Justice can't play, he could be replaced by Jeff Linkenbach or the versatile Trai Essex. Any of the three would be a mismatch in Robison's favor. Especially when more attention has to be paid to right defensive end Jared Allen.

Vikings CB Chris Cook, who gave up a go-ahead 39-yard touchdown with 20 seconds left a week ago, vs. Colts WR Reggie Wayne, who caught nine passes for 135 yards against the Bears. Cook had a decent game until being turned around against Cecil Shorts in man coverage on the go-ahead score. Shorts is a second-year player from Division III Mount Union. He came into the game with two career catches. Wayne is a 12-year veteran with 871 career catches.